User blog:SPARTAN 119/Surigao Strait 1905: Winfield Scott Schley (Spanish-American War) VS Heihachiro Togo (Russo-Japanese War)
Winfield Scott Schley, the American rear admiral that defeated the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in 1898 VS Heihachiro Togo, the Japanese admiral known as the “Nelson of the East”, who crushed the Russian fleet at the 1905 Battle of Tsushima =Winfield Scott Schley= Winfield Scott Schley was a US Navy officer who served in the American Civil War and Spanish-American War, best known for his taking direct command of the US fleet at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, with his direct superior William T. Sampson being ashore at a meeting with Army General William Shafter at the time of the battle. The battle became known for a subsequent controversy over whether Sampson or Schley would take credit for the victory. Schley was born in 1839 and graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1860. Soon after, the American Civil War broke out, and served on various ships during the war, most notably taking part in the capture of Port Hudson, Lousiana as part of the Vicksburg campaign. After the war, Schley would serve in the San Salvador intervention of 1866 and the Korean Expedition of 1871. After these operations, he would serve in various commands until the Spanish American War was declared in 1898, where he would reach the rank of commodore and ended up a second-in-command of the Flying Squadron of the US Navy, consisting of various battleships, cruisers, and armed yachts, under Rear Admiral William T Sampson. During the Battle of Santiago de Cuba on July 3rd,1898, Sampson was away on shore at a meeting with Army General William Shafter, so Schley was in command of the Flying Squadron in his absence. During the battle, Schley led the US fleet against the four cruiser and two destroyers of Spanish admiral Pascuel Cevera. Schley’s ships destroyed the Spanish squadron before Sampson was able to return from the meeting ashore. When Sampson returned, however, he sent a telegram taking credit for the victory without mentioning Schley. While Sampson was responsible for the ship position and some of the planning of the battle, Schley was in command for the actual battle. This led to a controversy over whether Sampson or Schley should take credit for the battle practically divided the Navy into pro-Sampson and pro-Schley camps. This controversy led to a court of inquiry, where Sampson accused Schley of cowardice and ineptitude in his actions in the lead up to and during the battle, claiming he would have been court martialed had he not won the battle. The court of inquiry eventually found Schley had made several errors, however, due to the length of time elapsed, charges were dropped. The news media and the public sided with Schley, viewing Sampson as having taken credit for the battle and pressed the charges against Schley out of professional envy. In 1899, Schley was promoted to rear admiral, and he retired in 1902. Schley died in 1911 at age 71 and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetary. Ships USS Iowa Completed in 1896, the USS Iowa (BB-4) was the first US battleship to bear the name Iowa (the WWII-era USS Iowa was the second). The ship carried four 12-inch guns in two turrets, eight 8-inch guns in four turrets, six 4-inch guns, and several smaller guns, as well as four 14-inch torpedo tubes. The ship was armored with between 4 and 17 inches of Harvey armor, which was stronger than standard nickel steel. The ship had a top speed of 17 knots. USS Indiana The USS Indiana was the first US battleship comparable to her foreign contemporaries, launched in 1893. The ship carried four 13.5 inch guns in two turrets, as well as eight 8-inch guns, and four six-inch guns. The ship also carried a number of smaller guns and four torpedo tubes. The ship had 5-18 inches of Harvey armor on the primary turrets, the hull, and armored belt, with thickness varying depending on location. The rest of the ship was armored with 3-10 inches of conventional nickel-steel. USS Oregon The USS Oregon was an Indiana-class pre-dreadnought battleship launched in 1893 by the United States Navy. The vessel fought alongside the Massachusetts, Texas, and Iowa in the Battle of Santiago in Cuba. The vessel carried an armament of four 13 inch guns in two twin turrets, eight 8-inch guns in four twin turrets, and four six inch guns. The ship also carried 20 six-pounder guns and six one-pounder guns. The ship was armored Harveyized steel on the belt, turrets, and hull, ranging from 6.25 to 18 inches in thickness, and conventional nickel-steel alloys on tower, deck, and 8-inch turrets, with a thickness of between 4.5 and 10 inches. =Heihachiro Togo= Marshal-Admiral The Marquis Tōgō Heihachirō was a Japanese admiral who served as the commander of the Japanese combined fleet from 1903 to 1913, and is most famous for his victories at the Battle of the Yellow Sea and the Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War, and is considered one of the greatest naval commanders in Japanese history. Togo was born in 1848 to a samurai family, and had his first experience of war at age 15, when he manned a cannon used to defend against the British Royal Navy when they bombarded Kagoshima in retaliation for the killing of a British citizen by the guards of the Satsuma daimyo in 1863. In 1866, Togo joined the Satsuma navy and served on the steamship Kasuga during the Boshin War on the side of the Imperialists. In 1870, Togo secured a place in the newly establish Imperial Japanese Navy and was selected to travel to London to study at the Royal Naval College. In 1872, with no places available in the Royal Naval College, Togo instead trained at the Thames Nautical Training College, which he graduated second in his class in 1873. Togo would go on to circumnavigate the globe on a British training ship, study at Cambridge University, and observe Western shipbuilding techniques in London. Togo returned to Japan in 1878 and served as an officer on multiple ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, getting his first command of a ship in 1883. Togo would serve in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 as the commander of the cruiser Naniwa, which fought at the Battles of Pungdo and the Yalu River. In 1900, Togo was promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral, and in 1903, he was made commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Togo led the Japanese fleet at the Battles of Port Arthur and the Yellow Sea, winning both battles. In 1905, Togo won his greatest victory at Tsushima, where his fleet sunk 7 Russian battleships and 14 other ships, and captured an additional 7, while losing only three torpedo boats. At Tsushima, Togo made use of the emerging technology of wireless telegraph, as well as long-range gunnery to win the battle, foreshadowing the emergence of the tactics which would lead to the emergence of the first dreadnought battleships later that year. Togo would serve as a fleet commander until 1913, when he retired to oversee the education of crown prince and future emperor Hirohito. Togo died in 1934, at the age of 86. Ships Mikasa The HIJMS Mikasa was a Japanese battleship built in Britain starting in 1899 and completed in 1900. The ship was best known as the flagship of Heihachiro Togo during the battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. The ship also saw action in the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, a failed attempt by the Allies to re-install the tsarist government in Russia after the Russian Revolution. The ship was state of the art for her time, a pre-dreadnought battleship armed with four 12-inch guns in two turrets, firing 850-pound shells up to 15,000 yards. The ship also carried 14 smaller 6-inch guns in single mounts, and a number of lighter, 12, 3, and 2.5 pounder guns, though these would be of little use for this battleship-vs-battleship match. Finally, the Mikasa carried four 18-inch torpedo tubes. The ship was armored with between 2 and 14 inches of armor, with the heaviest armor being on the barbettes and conning tower, and weakest on the deck. The Mikasa had a top speed of 18 knot (21 mph). The Mikasa is the only surviving pre-dreadnought battleship in the world, now a museum ship located in Yokosuka, Japan. Asahi The Asahi, like the other battleships operated by Japan at the time, was actually built by a shipyard in the United Kingdom from 1897-1900. The vessel was a pre-dreadnought battleship, armed four 12 inch guns in two turrets, as well 14 6-inch guns mounted in single mounts, as well as a number of smaller guns for protection against torpedo boats. The ship's armor ranged for 2 inches on parts of the casemates to 14 inches on the conning tower. The ship had a top speed of 18 knots. Shikishima The Shikishima was one of battleships of its class was built from 1898-1900, the other, the Hatsuse being sunk by a Russian mine in 1904. The ship carried four 12 inch guns in two turrets and 14 6-inch guns, as well as numerous smaller guns and four torpedo tubes. The ship had between 2.5-10 inches of armor. The Shikishima had a top speed of 18 knots. =Ship Stats= 119’s Edges Firepower Schley’s three ships take the edge here, with two of them having a main battery of 4 13-inch guns capable of firing significantly larger shells than the 12 inch guns. At closer ranges, all three of the American ships gain a further advantage of carrying eight 8-inch guns, four of which could be fired at any one target given their positions on the side of the ships, and their firepower is further boosted by four six-inch guns on the Indiana and Oregon. Overall, it means Schley’s ships have a heavier broadside (the maximum total weight of shells that can be fire from one side of a ship), and thus, greater firepower. Togo’s ships all have lighter (though still substantial) 12-inch guns, and their secondary armament consists of only shorter ranged and lighter 6-inch guns. Note that I do not include guns lighter than 6 inches in the broadside totals as they are unlikely to be able to damage an armored battleship. Firing Range Togo’s fleet may not have as heavy a broadside, however, their guns had a longer effective range, of 15,000 yards, meaning that if they manage to get the range right before the US ships close in (not an easy feat given the technology of the period- at Tsushima, Togo’s ships fired on the Russian fleet at 6400 meters, which would be well within the range of the US guns). However, it should be noted that Togo still engaged at far longer ranges in than Schley, whose engagements took place between 2500 and 1000 yards, more typical of pre-dreadnought tactics. Armor While the armor of the US ships may be thicker, one must also take into the account the type of steel used. Specifically Krupp cemented armor > Harvey armor > nickel steel. Specifically, Krupp cemented armor is about 15% stronger than Harvey armor, so the Mikasa’s maximum 14 inches of Krupp armor equals to 16.1 inches of Harvey armor, meaning that the two sides have roughly comparable armor in terms of penetration, however, the Krupp armor has a reduced chance of spalling. Even the Japanese ships with Harvey armor have it over the whole ship, while parts of the American ships have only weaker nickel steel. For this reason, Togo's ships take a slight edge. Top Speed All three of Togo’s ships can reach 18 knots at top speed, giving them a speed advantage over all three of Schley’s ships. Tactics Both commanders proved to be highly skilled naval officer who led their fleet to victory with minimal losses, however, I give the edge to Togo as, while Schley fought using the older pre-dreadnought tactic of close to mid-range engagements using both the main and secondary battery at ranges of between about 1000 and 2500 yards, Togo pioneered the use of long-range gunnery with the main guns, picking off enemy ships before they could close the distance to use the secondary battery. It was this tactic led to the development of the dreadnought-type battleship soon after Togo’s victory at Tsushima. Edge: Togo. Combat Experience Both admirals served during multiple conflicts in a career lasting over 45 years, with Schley seeing combat in the American Civil War, the American interventions in Korea and San Salvador, and Spanish-American War, and Togo seeing action in the British bombardment of Kagoshima, the Sino-Japanese War, and the Russo-Japanese War. I give the edge to Togo, however, as he served for slightly longer. Also, while Schley commanded battleships, he never fought against them- the Spanish fleet at Santiago de Cuba consisted of only 4 armored cruisers and 2 destroyers (while Schley had three battleships, a second-rate battleship, 2 cruisers, and two armed yachts). Togo, on the other hand, faced a fleet of eight Russian battleships at Tsushima, while he had only five (though he had significantly more smaller ships than the Russians), and destroyed 7 Russian battleships and 14 other ships with only three torpedo boats lost. =Notes= The battle will take place in an area of ocean with scattered islands, which will not be familiar to either commander. =Battle= North of Luzon, Philippines, 1903. In an alternate timeline... 1903. The United States is fighting a brutal guerilla war against the native Filipinos, who did not take kindly to their new Philippine Republic being colonized by yet another foreign power. Seeing an opportunity to expand their influence in the region, the Japanese step up the previously limited (the Japanese did actually provide very limited support to the Filipinos in real life, FYI) support, secretly providing arms and military training and support to the Filipinos. In late 1902, the Americans sunk a Japanese ship they suspected of transporting arms to the insurrectionists. In response, the Japanese declared war on the US and dispatched the Imperial Japanese Navy, under Admiral Heihachiro Togo to the Philippines. Defending the archipelago is a force of three American battleships under Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley, a veteran of the Spanish-American War. A clash of two rising empires is about to begin... The new Japanese battleship Mikasa steamed south towards the distance mass of green on the horizon, the island of Luzon, leading two other battleships. Admiral Heihachiro Togo stood on the bridge, looking out towards the distance. Suddenly, a message arrived from the lookouts: "Smoke spotted to the southeast in grid square 203". On the southern horizon, a column of black smoke from the funnel of a ship was visible in the distance. "Get on the wireless", Togo ordered the wireless telegraph operator on the bridge, "Relay this message: 'In response to the warning that enemy ships have been sighted, the Combined Fleet will immediately commence action and attempt to attack and destroy them. Weather today fine but high waves.'" "At once, sir", the wireless operator responded as the room was filled by the beeping sound of the telegraph, as well as alarms ordering the crew of the ship to battlestations. As soon as the previous message was finished, Togo ordered the "Z-flag" be raised, the meaning of that particular Japanese naval flag meaning: "The Empire's fate depends on the result of this battle, let every man do his utmost duty." On board the other two ships, Asahi and Shikishima, their crews too were making ready for battle. The first engagement of the Japanese-American War of 1903 had begun. At a range of about 8000 meters, Togo gave the order for his ships to make a turn to port, crossing the T of the American ships. On the other side of the straight, Rear Admiral Schley had seen what the Japanese were doing, and ordered his ships to maneuver into a parallel course, so as to engage them with all of their guns. It was at that moment that a storm of 12 and 6-inch shells rained down from the sky. The first Japanese salvo overshot the Indiana, the lead ship in the formation, but while the first shots landed off well off the bow of the Oregon, the last two 12-inch shells and several six-inch shells struck it directly in the bow. The vessel went up in a flash of fire. The Oregon was still afloat, but its speed was slowed by several knots, the 12-inch turret had its traverse disabled and the forward 8-inch turret was wrecked completely. The USS Iowa had maneuver around the crippled Oregon to rejoin the lines. As the Indiana was about half way into its turn to port, it was bracketed, but not directly hit by fire from the Mikasa. The Shikishima focused her fire on the disabled Oregon, scoring hits with all four of it's 12-inch guns, as well as the secondary battery. One particular shell landed just forward of the forward 12-inch turret of the Oregon, punching through the thin plating into the decks below. There was a great flash of fire as the magazine exploded, blowing the bow of the ship clean off. The Oregon sank within ten minutes, water pouring in through the gaping hole in the bow. On board the bridge of the Indiana, Schley saw the explosion of the Oregon. He was down a ship, but he didn't retreat. Instead, the Imperial Japanese Navy, like the Spaniards before them, were going to learn what happens when you mess with Uncle Sam. The formidable main battery of the 4 13-inch guns, as well all 8-inch and 6-inch guns that could be turned on the Japanese fleet opened fire. The salvo landed a few hundred meters off the starboard bow of the Mikasa. Schley's two remaining ships made a diagonal course, firing their guns as they closed to about 5000 meters, trying to get close enough to use their intermediate batteries to full effect. (Schley: 2/3, Togo: 3/3 While the first American Salvo missed, the second salvo, fired from the Iowa struck home, a lucky shot with a 13.5-inch shell hitting the bridge of the Shikishima, killing most of the occupants. Several other hits damaged the secondary battery and rear turret. The rear 13.5-inch turret and secondary 8-inch guns of the Indiana fired, struck the stricken Shikishima. One of the shells landed in the water a few meters from the side of the Japanese ship, and detonated underwater, blowing a gaping hole in the hull. Within five minutes, the Shikishima was listing badly, and the captain gave the order to abandon ship. (Schley: 2/3, Togo: 2/3) Schley gave the order for the Indiana and Iowa to fire their torpedoes, sending a spread towards the Japanese fleet. Togo ordered he Mikasa to turn to starboard, the slightly faster Japanese ship managed to evade the torpedoes. The Mikasa then turned her entire 12-inch main battery on the Iowa, landing multiple hits on the rear of the ship, disabling her engines and setting fires on board. More hits from guns of the Asahi to the stern and superstructure sealed her fate. With fires burning out of control and taking on water rapidly, the captain gave the order to abandon ship. (Schley 1/3, Togo: 2/3) As 12-inch shells splashed around the Indiana, Schley saw the writing on the wall. He gave the order to strike the colors of the last surviving ship, and raised the flags "XGE", the international flag code for surrender, as well as the a white tablecloth on the flagpole. The battle was over. Schley would be disgraced in the eyes of press, having lost two battleships and surrendered a third, but the men on board his ship would live. Winner: Heihachiro Togo Expert's Opinion Heihachiro Togo won this battle thanks primarily to his far greater combat experience and tactical prowess, being widely considered the greatest commander of the pre-dreadnought era. In addition, the Japanese ships, while not as heavily armed as the Americans, had heavier armor, longer-range weapons, and were slightly faster. To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here. Category:Blog posts